Fur cutting machine



April 5, 1 3 J. A. GUNDERSEN 2,112,839. I

FUR CUTT ING MACHINE Filed July 15, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l lNVENTOR ATTORNEYS April 5, 1938. j GUNDERSEN 2,112,839

FUR CUTTING MACHINE Filed July l3, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .1 22g; ilyllll W ,ZZjZ 59 N INVENTOR ATTORN EYS Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 13 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for cutting the edge of fur so that the skin thereof has a notched or serrated edge and permits of sew ing together corresponding cut edges of adjacent pieces of fur without showing the seam on the hair side of the fur.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a machine of simple and durable construction whereby the edge of fur may be cut to form a plurality of like notches therein without necessitating any preliminary marking of the fur skin for this purpose and to effect such cutting expeditiously, conveniently and without undue labor.

Another object of this invention is to provide efiicient means for the hair of the fur adjacent to the cutter so that the latter will .not sever the same while cutting notches in the skin and thereby preserve a finished and uniform appearance on the hair side of the fur when adjacent pieces are sewed together.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a fur cutting machine embodying a satisfactory form of these improvements.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, taken on line 4-4, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section, taken on line 5-5, Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the correspondingly numbered line in Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, of the means whereby the hair of the fur is deflected and the skin of the same is held, and showing the parts in the position which they occupy after the hair has been deflected and before the skin is gripped.

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the skin is gripped by the holding means.

Fig. 9 is a rear view of two pieces of fur after the same have been cut by this improved fur cutting machine.

Fig. 10 is a similar view showing the manner in which these pieces of fur are sewed together.

Fig. 11 is a side elevation, on a reduced scale, 50 of a slightly modified form of this invention.

The stationary main frame of the machine may be of any suitable construction to support the various working parts but, as shown in the drawings, the same preferably comprises a lower base plate 20 provided on its underside with feet 2| for supporting the same on a table 22 or the like, and a plurality of upright posts 24 connected at their lower ends with said base plate.

On the upper side of the front part of the base plate is arranged a bench 25 on the upper side of which is mounted a horizontal feed table 26 over which the fur to be cut is adapted to be moved laterally either by hand or by an approved form of feed mechanism. The fur to be cut is placed on this table with its hair 21 down and its skin 28 up and the rear edge portion of the fur to be cut is exposed at the cutting station or place and engaged on opposite sides of this cutting place with two sections 29 of a horizontal channel shaped guide which opens forwardly and is mounted on the rear part of said bench. At

. the cutting station the rear edge of the table 26 is provided with a recess 30 which is generally of V-shaped form and the sides of this recess are provided with a plurality of rearwardly projecting teeth 3| which together form a V-shaped comb, as shown in Fig. 3.

The edges of pieces of fur are cut by this machine so as to produce on each edge a row of alternating notches 32 and teeth 33 which have a zig-zag or serrated form, the slopes 34 of the teeth and notches being straight so as to form sharp angles at the junction between oppositely trending slopes and adjacent slopes of said teeth and notches being preferably at right angles to one another, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, although another piece are interfitted or jointed and the opposing slopes of the same are connected by stitches of sewing 35, as shown in Fig. 10.

The cutter whereby parts of the edges of the pieces of fur are severed for producing the ser-. rated form thereon may be variously constructed but it is preferable to employ for this purpose two rotary circular or disk shaped blades I8, l9 which have peripheral cutting edges and which have their planes arranged vertically and at an angle relatively to each other so that parts of these edges are closely opposed to each other. The angular relation of these blades may be suited to the desired angle of the slopes of the serrations but in the present case these blades are arranged so that their planes form a right angle. The opposed parts of these cutting blades are vertically in line with the recess 30 in the fur supporting table and mounted on a vertically movable carrier or carriage so that the opposed parts of the blade may be moved downwardly and upwardly through the recess 30 for severing the ships I28 from the fur which produces the serrations on its edge. In the preferred construction one of the cutting blades is arranged slightly below or in advance of the other blade, this being preferably accomplished by arranging the axis of one blade slightly below the other, thereby permitting the nearest opposing edge portions of both blades to be brought on the same vertical line without actually engaging these blades with each other and enabling an angular cut to be formed in the edge of the fur skin which produces a sharp corner at the base or bottom of each notch and completely severs a snip from the edge of the fur without interference between the blades. While the blades are elevated above the table 26 the fur is placed with its hair side down on the table and its edge in engagement with the guide 29 which latter serves as a gage for properly locating the fur preparatory to cutting the same. After the fur has been thus positioned the cutter is lowered so that the opposed edge portions of the blade pass downwardly through the recess 30 of the table and during this time the two blades form two cuts at an angle to each other in the edge of the fur skin and remove a triangular shaped snip therefrom, after which the cutter is again raised to its elevated position. This operation is repeated for producing successive notches in the edge of the fur and ultimately imparting the serrated formation thereon which is required for matching the similarly serrated edge of another fur skin preparatory to sewing them together.

When feeding the fur transversely of the cutter for presenting successive parts of its edge to the cutter the length of each step must be gaged by the skill of the operator in order to obtain uniform work, but when the feeding of the fur is effected by automatic means the operator is relieved of manually performing this operation.

Although various means may be employed for driving the rotary cutter blades and moving the same vertically it is preferable to employ for this purpose the means which are shown in the drawings and which are constructed as follows:

Mounted on the frame is a vertically movable carrier or carriage which consists essentially of a lower horizontal carrier plate 36 arranged above the base plate of the frame, an upper carrier plate 31, an intermediate carrier plate arranged between said lower and upper plates 36, 31 and a plurality of upright bars 38 which connect these carrier plates. The carrier is guided in its vertical movements relative to the stationary main frame by the upright guide posts 24 of the frame passing through openings in the lower plate 36 of the carrier and also through a cross bar 39 secured to the intermediate plate 23 of the carrier. Upward movement of the carrier may be arrested by stops 4d on the upper ends of the guide posts 24, which stops may be made of resilient material, such as rubber, in. order to cushion the carrier when the same reaches the upper end of its stroke.

The cutter blade I8 is secured to the front end of a horizontal shaft 4| which is journaled in bearings 42 on the carrier plate and the cutter blade I9 is secured to the front end of a horizontal shaft 43 which is arranged below the shaft 4| and at right angles thereto and journaled in bearings 44 on said carrier plate. The two cutter blades are caused to turn in unison by intermeshing spiral gear wheels 45, 46' secured respectively to the cutter shafts, as best shown in Fig. 6. Rotation of the cutters so that their opposing parts move downwardly may be effected by a motor 41, preferably of the electric type, mounted on the carrier plate 3'! and a belt 48 passing around a driving pulley 49 on the shaft 5|] of this motor, and a driven pulley 5| on the shaft 4| of the cutter blade I8, as best shown in Fig. 2. Vertical reciprocation of the carrier may be accomplished in a variety of ways, for example, this may be done automatically by utilizing the power of the motor 41 in which case motion is transmitted to the carrier for raising and lowering the same by a crank shaft 52 journaled in bearings 53 on the carriage plate 36 and provided at one end with a wheel 54 having a crank 55, a pitman or connecting rod 56 pivotally connected at one end with the crank 55 and at its opposite end with the base of the frame, and a worm pinion 57 mounted on the cutter shaft 4| and meshing with a worm wheel 58 on. the crank shaft 52, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6. As the crank wheel is rotated by the motor the carrier is raised and lowered by the pitman 56, thereby moving the rotating cutter blades past the station where the snips are successively cut from the edge of the fur.

Means are provided for holding the fur in place while cutting the snips therefrom. In their preferred form these fur holding and hair deflecting means are constructed as follows-:-

The numeral 59 represents a clamping jaw of V-shaped form which moves toward and from the top of the table 29 at the edge of the correspondingly shaped recess 39 for the purpose of either gripping the adjacent part of the fur between the table and this jaw preparatory to cutting a snip therefrom or releasing the same after this cutting operation. The underside of this jaw is preferably toothed, scored or serrated, as shown at 60 so that it will hold the fur more effectively. This jaw is mounted on the lower end of upright shifting rods 6| which are guided on the carrier so that the latter is capable of sliding thereon, this being preferably accomplished by passing the intermediate part of these rods through guide openings in the front end of the carrier plate 23 and the upper parts thereof through guide openings formed on a cross bar 62 which is supported by posts 63 on this plate, as best shown in Fig. 1. These jaws for holding the fur on the table are yieldingly held in a lowered position relative to the carrier by springs 64, each of which surrounds one of the shifting rods 6| and bears with its upper end against the underside of the carrier bar 62 while its lower end bears against a stop pin 65 on the respective shifting rod and the downward movement of the latter relative to the carrier is limited by engagement of the stop pin 65 with the upper side of the carrier plate 23.

During the first part of the downward movement of the carrier, and before the cutter blades engage the fur, the clamping jaw 59 engages the fur and holds the same down on the table so that the same will not become displaced when the cutter during the subsequent part of the downward movement of the carrier severs the snip I29 from the fur, as shown in. Fig. 6, and forms a notch in the edge thereof. After the clamping jaw engages the fur the carrier moves downwardly independently of the clamping jaw 59 while the latter is at rest and holding the fur and during such movement the springs 64 are compressed between the upper carriage bar .62

and the stop pins 65. During the first part of the subsequent upward movement of the carrier the same moves independently of the clamping jaw 59 and the latter remains at rest on the fur until the carrier plate engages the underside of the stop pins 65 and then lifts this clamping jaw from the fur for releasing the same and permitting another part of its edge to be presented to the cutting station.

Means are provided for brushing aside the hair on the skin adjacent to the snips which are to be removed therefrom and thus avoiding cutting off the hair on the body of the skin next to such snips. The preferred means for this purpose are constructed as follows:

The numeral 66 represents a hair deflector having preferably the form of an upright pin which is movable horizontally relative to the feed table, and adapted to pass with its upper end forwardly and backwardly underneath that part of the edge of the fur which overhangs the recess 30 in the table. The forward and backward movement of this deflector pin is effected by means which include a horizontally sliding plate 6'? guided on the base plate of the frame and carrying the deflector pin on its front end, an upright cam arm 68 mounted on the rear end of the deflector slide and having an inclined cam face 69 which is adapted to engage a bearing face 10 on the lower plate 36 of the carrier for moving the deflector slide forwardly, and a spring 'll connecting the rear end of the deflector slide with the main frame and operating to move thedeflector slide backwardly after the clamping jaw 59 has .been engaged with the fur on the table during the descent of the carrier. The bearing face 70 of the carrier engages with the incline B9 of the cam arm and moves the deflector pin so that its upper end brushes forwardly the hair on the underside of that part of the skin which overhangs the recess 30, together with the hair on that part of the skin immediately in front of the lines on which the fur will be severed by the cutter blades, thereby preventing the blades from cutting the hair on the body of the skin adjacent to the cutting lines between the body and snip which otherwise might detract from the finished appearance of the joint between two pieces of fur when sewed together.

While the deflector pin is underneath the part of the fur which is intended to be cut out in the form of a snip the latter is held downwardly against the upper end of the deflecting pin by a retaining or clamping jaw 72 which is movable vertically toward and from the recess in the feed table. For this purpose this retaining jaw 12 is mounted on the lower end of a shifting rod 13 which slides in openings in the frame plate 23 and frame bar 62 and the same is yieldingly held in a depressed position relative to the carrier by a spring M surrounding this shifting rod and bearing at its upper end against the underside of the carrier cross bar 62 and at its lower end against a stop pin 15 on this shifting rod, the downward movement of said rod on the carrier being limited by the stop pin i5 engaging with the upper side of the carrier plate 23.

While placing the fur on the table in position to be cut, the fur body clamping jaw 59 and the snip retaining jaw 12 are both raised, and the deflector pin 66 is retracted into its rearward position, as shown in Fig. 7. Then the body clamping jaw 59 descends and holds the fur body against the table and immediately thereafter the deflector pin moves forwardly and deflects forwardly the hair on the snip of fur which is to be cut and also deflects forwardly the hair on the body of the skin immediately in front of the line on which the snip will be cut from the fur body, as shown in Fig. 8. The snip retaining jaw 12 then descends and hold the snip portion of the fur against the upper end of the deflector pin so that the fur will be reliably held against displacement while the cutting blades immediately thereafter sever the snip from the body of the piece of fur. During the first part of the descent of the carrier the snip holding jaw moves with the carrier but after this jaw engages the snip over the deflector pin then this jaw remains at rest and the carrier completes its downward movement independently of the snip holding jaw.

As the carrier rises after the cutting operation the snip holding jaw is first lifted by engagement of the carrier plate 23 with the underside of the stop pin 15, then the deflector pin 66 is retracted rearwardly by the spring "H and then the fur body holder is lifted by the carrier, thereby releasing the fur body and snip and permitting the former to advance to the next following cutting position and the snip to drop as waste into any suitable receptacle which may be provided for this purpose.

If desired the carrier may be operated by man power in the manner shown in Fig. 11 in which case the carrier is yieldingly held in an elevated position by a spring 16 interposed between the base plate 26 of the frame and the lower plate 36 of the carrier, and depression of the latter is effected by a foot lever or pedal arm ll pivoted on the floor and connected by an operating rod '13 with the carrier.

By the use of this machine fur may be expeditiously cut to form a uniformly serrated edge thereon without requiring any preliminary marking on the fur for this purpose as has been the case heretofore, thereby effecting a substantial saving in the cost of doing work of this character and also materially improving the quality of the finished product.

I claim as my invention:

1. A fur cutting machine comprising a support for the fur to be cut, a cutter for forming notches in the edge of the fur skin and having two blades which are arranged one in advance of the other and at an angle relative to each other, and means whereby relative movement of said cutter and support is effected.

2. A fur cutting machine comprising a relatively stationary support adapted to sustain the fur to be cut, a cutter for forming notches in the edge of the fur skin and having two disk blades arranged at an angle relative to each other, and means for moving said cutter blades bodily relative to said fur support.

3. A fur cutting machine comprising a relatively stationary support adapted to sustain the fur to be cut, a cutter for forming notches in the edge of the fur skin and having two disk blades arranged at an angle relative to each other, means for moving said cutter blades bodily relative to said fur support, and means for turning said blades with their opposing edge portions toward said support.

4. A fur cutting machine comprising a support for the fur to be cut, a cutter for notching the edge of the fur skin and having two disks arranged at an angle relative to each other and having some parts of their edges arranged adjacent to one another and other parts arranged one below the other, and means for rotating said blades including two shafts arranged one above the other and at an angle relatively to each other and each shaft carrying one of said blades.

5. A fur cutting machine comprising a support for the fur to be cut, a cutter for notching the edge of the fur skin and having two disks arranged at an angle relative to each other and having some parts of their edges arranged adjacent to one another and other parts arranged one below the other, and means for rotating said blades including two shafts arranged one above the other and at an angle relatively to each other and each shaft carrying one of said blades, inter- -meshing spiral gears arranged respectively on said shafts, and driving means connected with one port for the fur to be cut, a cutter for notching' the edge of the fur skin and having two disks arranged at an angle relative to each other and having some parts of their edges arranged adjacent to one another and other parts arranged one below the other, and means for rotating said blades including two shafts arranged one above the other and at an angle relatively to each other and each shaft carrying one of said blades, intermeshing spiral gears arranged respectively on said shafts, a vertically movable carrier provided with bearings in which said shafts are journaled, and means for rotating said blades including a motor mounted on said carrier, and a belt passing around pulleys arranged respectively on one of said blade shafts and the driving shaft of said motor.

'7. A fur cutting machine comprising a support for the fur to be cut, a cutter for notching the edge of the fur skin and having two disks arranged at an angle relative to each other and having some parts of their edges arranged adjacent to one another and other parts arranged one below the other, and means for rotating said blades including two shafts arranged one above the other and at an angle relatively to each other and each shaft carrying one of said blades, intermeshing spiral gears arranged respectively on said shafts, and means for rotating the blades of said cutter including a motor-mounted on said carrier and a belt passing around a pulley on the motor shaft and a pulley turning with one of said cutter blades.

8. A fur cutting machine comprising a support for the fur to be cut, a cutter for notching the edge of the fur skin and having two disks arranged at an angle relative to each other and having some parts of their edges arranged adjacent to one another and other parts arranged one below the other, and means for rotating said blades including two shafts arranged one above the other and at an angle relatively to each other and each shaft carrying one of said blades, intermeshing spiral gears arranged respectively on said shafts, means for rotating the blades of said cutter including a motor mounted on said carrier and a belt passing around a pulley on the motor shaft and a pulley turning with one of said cutter blades, and means for raising and lowering said carrier including a crank connected by gearingwith one of said cutter bladeshafts, and a pitman connecting said crank with said frame.

9. A fur cutting machine comprising a support for the fur to be cut, a movable cutter for notching the edge of the fur skin, and movable means for deflecting the hair backwardly on that part of the skin which is to be out, said means being movable at right angles to the direction of movement of said cutter.

10. A fur cutting machine comprising a support for the fur to be cut, a cutter for notching the edge of the fur skin, movable means for defleeting the hair backwardly on that part of the skin which is to be cut, a movable carrier upon which said cutter is mounted, and shifting means for actuating said deflecting means by motion derived from said carrier, said shifting means being movable at right angles to the direction of movement of said cutter.

11. A fur cutting machine comprising a support for the fur to be cut, a vertically movable cutter for severing the skin of the fur, a vertically movable carrier upon which said cutter is mounted, a horizontally movable deflecting pin adapted to engage with the hair of the fur and deflect the same backwardly adjacent to the part of the skin which is to be severed, and means for actuating said deflecting pin including a slide carrying said pin, a cam arranged on said slide and having an inclined face adapted to be engaged by a part of said carrier for moving said slide in the direction for engaging the hair of the fur.

12. A fur cutting machine comprising a support for the fur to be cut, a vertically movable cutter for severing the skin of the fur, a vertically movable carrier upon which said cutter is mounted, a horizontally movable deflecting pin adapted to engage with the hair of the fur and deflect the same backwardly adjacent to the part of the skin which is to be severed, and a clamping jaw adapted to bear against the fur opposite the deflecting pin.

13. A fur cutting machine comprising a support for the fur to be out, a vertically movable cutter for severing the skin of the fur, a vertically movable carrier upon which said cutter is mounted, a horizontally movable deflecting pin adapted to engage with the hair of the fur and deflect the same backwardly adjacent to the part of the skin which is to be severed, a clamping jaw adapted to bear against the fur opposite the deflecting pin, and means for yieldingly mounting said clamping jaw on said carrier and moving the same toward and from said deflecting pin.

JACOB A. GUNDERSEN. 

